'''Dark Lord''' was the title given to the two great Enemies of the [[Free Peoples of Middle-earth|Free Peoples of]] [[Middle-earth]], [[Morgoth]] (or [[Melkor]]) the fallen [[Ainur|Ainu]], and [[Sauron]], ([[Sauron|Mairon]] or [[Gorthaur the Cruel]]) a [[Maia]].

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'''Dark Lord''' was the title given to the two great Enemies of the [[Free peoples|Free Peoples of]] [[Middle-earth]], [[Morgoth]] (or [[Morgoth|Melkor]]) the fallen [[Ainur|Ainu]], and [[Sauron]], a [[Maia]].

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==Morgoth==

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[[Morgoth]] descended into [[Arda]] at its beginning, and battled with the [[Valar]] for ages uncounted before the awakening of [[Elves]] and [[Men]] from his fortress at [[Utumno]] in the north of the world. The Valar defeated him and imprisoned him for three ages, but on his release he returned to [[Angband]], north of [[Beleriand]]. During the [[First Age]], the [[Noldor]] made hopeless war upon him for the return of the [[Silmarils]], but at last the Valar came to their aid and overthrew Morgoth, banishing him forever from the World.

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==Sauron==

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[[Sauron]] was the ancient lieutenant of Morgoth, and after the first Dark Lord's defeat, he took on his mantle and became a Dark Lord himself during the early [[Second Age]]. Taking the land of [[Mordor]] to dwell in, he corrupted the [[Númenóreans]]. Though he was defeated at the end of the Second Age, and his Dark Tower of [[Barad-dûr]] was thrown down, he rose again during the [[Third Age]], and was finally defeated with the destruction of the [[One Ring]] in [[Third Age 3019]].